Loke makes final address to ministry staff, reflects on four-year tenure

Nov. 11 holds a special place in Angola’s history. It marks the achievement of freedom, sovereignty and the right of a people to determine their own destiny. On this day in 1975, Angola proclaimed its national independence, bringing an end to a long period of colonial rule and beginning a new chapter in its history as a sovereign nation. Independence was achieved through years of resistance, sacrifice and struggle by thousands of Angolans who believed in a free and independent country capable of shaping its own future. Driven by patriotism and a shared aspiration for freedom, men and women contributed to the historic journey that culminated in the proclamation of independence on Nov. 11, 1975, by Angola’s first president, António Agostinho Neto. The years that followed were profoundly affected by armed conflict, which continued until 2002. The loss of human lives, displacement of communities, destruction of infrastructure and disruption of agricultural production and education left lasting consequences. Reconstruction required not only the rebuilding of roads, schools and hospitals

WASHINGTON — Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the United Nations to address North Korea's human rights situation alongside security issues in future diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang. In a commentary published Monday, the New York-based rights group, citing a recent U.N. report highlighting deepening repression in the country, said the U.N. General Assembly should recommend that future dialogue with North Korea address human rights and security concerns together, rather than treating them as separate issues. "Security and rights issues need to be addressed together. The U.N. General Assembly has the power to forge these connections, even as the Security Council remains deadlocked," Audrey Gregg, HRW's senior coordinator for Asia, wrote in a commentary published Monday. "Security and rights issues need to be addressed together. Gregg added that North Korean rights issues should not be displaced by the focus on security issues, as the United States and South Korea pursue diplomatic dialogues with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The commentary came after U.N. Special Rapporteur Eliz

A revision of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM), a multilateral currency swap arrangement among Korea, China, Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), took effect Wednesday, the Bank of Korea said. All 13 members of the ASEAN+3 group have completed their internal procedures for signing the revised agreement, which was endorsed at the ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers' and Central Bank Governors' Meeting in May 2025, according to the BOK. The revised CMIM includes the Rapid Financing Facility, which provides prompt financial assistance to members facing urgent balance of payments needs. It took effect Wednesday, seven days after the completion of the signing procedures, the central bank said. Launched in 2010, the CMIM is a multilateral currency swap arrangement among ASEAN+3 members aimed at providing liquidity to member economies in times of financial crisis. The facility has a total pool of $240 billion, with Korea contributing $38.4 billion.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stressed mutual respect and trust as the foundation for bilateral relations during his talks with Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, the Korean foreign ministry said. It was their first meeting since a deepening rift emerged between the two countries over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's September disclosure of the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war (POWs) to South Korea. The two ministers met Tuesday (local time) on the sidelines of the Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting in France. "Cho stressed that mutual respect, trust and the faithful implementation of agreements between countries are fundamental prerequisites for developing bilateral relations, expressing hope that all pending issues between the two countries will be resolved amicably," the ministry said in a press release. The remarks are widely seen as a reiteration of Seoul’s demand that Ukraine apologize for the disclosure, which South Korea says the two sides had agreed to keep confidential. The ministry did not say whether the two ministers directly discussed the POW

A senior South Korean diplomat has said that recent crypto thefts carry "significant" global security implications, calling for an overhaul of the cybersecurity paradigm to address growing threats of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven cyberattacks, according to the foreign ministry. Vice Foreign Minister for Strategy and Intelligence Jeong Yeon-doo made the remarks during a cybersecurity conference co-hosted by South Korea and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on Tuesday, after North Korea was accused late last month of stealing more than $6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance. "Mentioning the recent rise in cryptocurrency thefts, Vice Foreign Minister Jeong said such incidents carry significant international security implications beyond the incidents simply being cybercrimes," the ministry said in a press release. "In addition, Jeong called for a wholesale overhaul of the cybersecurity paradigm that befits the AI era given that AI-driven cyberattacks could take place at an unprecedented pace and scale," it added. Jeong also pointed out the int

North Korea has reposted its full constitution on a state propaganda website, more than 2 1/2 years after taking the document offline following leader Kim Jong-un's declaration of a two hostile state policy. The version posted on Naenara appears to be the text revised in March, which the outlet said was amended at the first session of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly on March 23. Previously, Naenara had pulled down the full text of the constitution in March 2024, along with its sections on modern history and overseas Koreans, which were believed to contain references to "unification" and "one nation." The removal followed Kim's declaration at a party plenary meeting in late 2023 that the two Koreas are separate, hostile states, and his order in January the following year to strip expressions such as "peaceful unification" and "national unity" from the constitution. At that time, Kim said he will no longer consider South Korea a counterpart for reconciliation and unification. The website appears to have removed the old text because it conflicted with North Korea's new policy toward the S

Some of the North Korean fishermen rescued off Ulleung Island reportedly want to defect, posing a test for President Lee Jae Myung’s administration as it seeks dialogue with Pyongyang. They were among the six fishermen aboard a boat that the Navy and Coast Guard found drifting in international waters north of the island on Nov. 3. Others reportedly wish to return to North Korea, with authorities questioning each crew member to establish their final wishes. They could become the first North Koreans to defect following a publicly reported rescue since Lee took office in June 2025, at a time when his government appears to favor a low-key approach to avoid provoking Pyongyang and resume talks. The Ministry of Unification declined Wednesday to confirm whether any of the fishermen had requested to defect, saying an investigation was underway. “We cannot disclose details at this stage,” a ministry official told reporters when asked about an exclusive JoongAng Ilbo report published Tuesday that first reported the defect requests. The newspaper wrote that the government plans to complete its

Korea and Indonesia on Wednesday discussed efforts to diversify their defense industry cooperation, including co-development of defense assets and joint arms exports to third markets, Seoul's arms agency said. The topics were addressed during a regular bilateral meeting on defense industry cooperation in Jakarta, led by officials from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and Indonesia's defense ministry, DAPA said. "Officials discussed ways to diversify partnership models between the two countries' defense firms, including joint development, local production and joint exports to third-party markets," the arms agency said. Both sides also reviewed the status of major ongoing defense cooperation projects and discussed follow-up steps to implement them, it added. Korea has been developing its indigenous KF-21 fighter jet in partnership with Indonesia under an agreement to share development costs in exchange for technology transfers to Jakarta. But the project had hit snags as Jakarta sought to scale back its financial contribution in exchange for a reduced transfer of techno

A spokesperson for the government says it will put in place "the strongest online safety laws in the world"

People who use heating oil will see increases of around 70 percent because the war in Iran has greatly reduced supply of that fuel.

Actress Claire Sweeney left Corrie earlier this year, and she's now heading into the I'm A Celebrity jungle

A group of mainly Red Wall MPs have voiced alarm that the PM's much-vaunted strategy is not shaping up to be 'radical'.